Category Archives: Lilly Pulitzer Paper & Gifts

It has been a little busier than normal here at the Prepatorium, more on that later. But first, we have a quick look at the newest addition to the Gossip Girl cast. Although we don’t watch, a number of readers are fans, so we attempt to stay abreast of developments on the show, below we see Elizabeth Hurley shooting a scene with Chace Crawford last week.

Flynet Pictures via The Daily Mail

The show is in production for its next season, shooting on the UES. Ms. Hurley plays a character named Diana Payne,we also show Ed Westwick and Penn Badgley working on the set last week.

Splash/AKM Images via The Daily Mail

The new character is apparently that of a ‘media mogul,’ obviously a very attractive one.

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Next, word from Women’s Wear Daily (subscription req’d.) that Le Boutique Targét is adding another designer line, this one from Gwen Stefani. The Harajuku Mini collection will debut in November, with pieces for “babies, children and tweens,” according to the trade publication.

Courtesy Photo via WWD

Prices for the line will run $3.99 to $29.99. Sharon Edelson’s story points out that Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. collection is one of very few successful fashion endeavors being done by celebrities.

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Next on the menu today, a look at a new accessories collection from a company called Sloane Ranger. The line is just being launched, from its website:

“Inspired by the streets of Sloane Square, It was time to bring the Sloane’s effortless cool and confident styling across the pond.”

Many readers remember Princess Diana as the most well known individual associated with the moniker. Here are a few of the company’s iPad/Netbook cases, retailing at $20.

Women’s Wear Daily also has word about Stella and Dot, the jewelry and limited accessories line sold through private trunk shows. The company is adding handbags to the merchandise its stylists will be offering, below we show one of the bags.

Courtesy Photo via WWD

The initial handbag collection will consist of five bags, here is more from the WWD story:

“A clutch; a convertible, three-way style; a cross-body bag; a wristlet, and a key pouch will comprise the first collection. Prices start at $44 for the key pouch and go up to $258 for the convertible bag. “

Stella and Dot already offers jewelry totes and rolls.

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Finally today, one of the reasons we say the weekend was a little chaotic. Facebook fans have already heard that we hired a new shipping manager, seen on the job below overseeing Friday’s shipment of Lilly Pulitzer Agendas to Princess customers.

Courtesy Tilly T. Bulldog

It was good to have new personnel on the job, we had quite a few Lilly Pulitzer Agendas to get ready for today’s shipping run.

Above we show boxes being prepped for shipment, below, some of the boxes ready to go.

The Prepatorium

And more boxes filled with Agendas going out today.

The Prepatorium

Of course, with this many orders one counts on the shipping supervisor. You’re wondering where that employee is aren’t you? So were we.

A series of recent stumbles at Target Corp. has some retail experts questioning whether the cheap-chic discounter is losing its cachet.

The chain that made it trendy to shop for low-priced designer clothing and mod lamps while picking up detergent and toothpaste has been struggling to gain back its pre-recession sales strength.”

The story goes on to detail struggles the retailer is having getting customers to buy clothing and home items, two categories that not only provide higher profits, they helped set Le Boutique Targét apart from Walmart and other discount stores. More from Ann Zimmerman’s story:

Some of Target’s struggles may also owe to the changing competitive landscape. Kohl’s Corp. and J.C. Penney Co. in recent years have taken a page from the Target playbook, adding low-price designer clothes from Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren and others.

We chat about Target with some frequency in this space, and have been vocal about quality concerns related to the company’s designer collaborations. We have also said the retailer still doesn’t seem to have recovered from Isaac Mizrahi’s departure, he had a very deft design sense that translated well for Target’s demographic. To be sure, there are still fun, fashionable items, like the Merona Rain Boots shown below.

Target.com

But the boots are not an original design, to say they are “derivative” of popular classics would be an understatement. There’s no question the collaborations have been very interesting to watch, but when it comes to the bread-and-butter styles the retailer needs to offer every day, the confident, whimsical touch seems to have disappeared. Back to the article:

“In the past year, middle and upper-end retailers bounced back while Target lagged behind. “Macy’s is winning in apparel and Bed Bath & Beyond has picked up a lot of market share,” said Ms. Shapira. Home furnishings are “doing very poorly at Target. In a world that no longer has Linens ‘N Things, you would think Target would have picked up some market share.” (Linens ‘N Things closed its stores in 2008 but exists online.)”

This makes us wonder, are you still popping in to shop at Target? Have you decreased your visits, perhaps transferred spending to other stores? Or is everything much the same?

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We have a few more retail-related tidbits, beginning with tough news for Talbots, the company’s stock was down yesterday by 40%. Women’s Wear Daily has more:

“…the company said sales and traffic have continued to “trend negative” so far in the second quarter, when it expects continuing high levels of promotion and markdown activity.”

“Increased promotional activity” is marketing speak for price cuts, while that can mean great savings for those looking for bargains at the struggling retailer, long-term it doesn’t bode well for the brand. This is how the Talbots’ home page looks today, obviously a promotion is underway:

Talbots.com

If you visit Talbots’ Facebook page you will see a broad range of customer comments on the ‘wall,’ many of them referencing quality concerns as well as design and/or style issues. Recognizing that human nature dictates negative comments will outweigh the positive, the Facebook wall still presents a capsule look at a troubled brand, we hope Talbots is able to turn things around.

Our other ‘shopping business’ headline involves Lilly Pulitzer’s new owner, Oxford Industries, that company also reported financial results this week. Those numbers were very good, exceeding already-positive expectations. Much of the increase came from solid sales at Tommy Bahama (also owned by Oxford), but Lilly Pulitzer contributed to the growth as well, here is more from WWD:

The company credited the sales growth to trendy spring and summer product, as well as to a burgeoning effort to expand the brand’s consumer base through digital and social media efforts.

Speaking of Lilly, many fans are headed to the Warehouse Sale that starts tomorrow in Pennsylvania; if not able to make that event, online discounter RueLaLa is doing another Lilly flash sale beginning at 11am (EDT) on Friday.

RueLaLa.com

For those not familiar with RueLaLa, the firm offers online-only sales; the invitation only (cough-cough) events run for a limited time, usually three days. A word of caution however, popular pieces can be gone within 2 -3 minutes once a sale opens. (If in need of an invitation, just click here.)

There are actually several more prep-friendly events this week at RueLaLa, including a Sperry sale that starts at 11am tomorrow (Thursday, 6/9), as well as a sale of Bill’s Khakis and Atlantis WeatherGear.

Via RueLaLa

The Consort has a keen interest in the Bill’s sale, we’re guessing he will be firmly planted in front of his desktop at 11am tomorrow, that’s when the sale gets underway. In addition to the Lilly sale Friday, there is also a sale on Preppy Plates. Because this could be confusing, we’ll recap the RueLaLa sales:

A quick note about a new line of ties and scarves from a company called Figs. We mention them not only because they make handcrafted goods of very high quality right here in the USA…

Figs

We also mention them because of their philanthropic policies: for every tie or scarf sold a uniform is donated to a schoolchild in Kenya or Tanzania. From a post in Valet:

“The brand’s founder, Heather Hasson, is an avid traveler and was in Africa a few years ago when she learned that many kids there weren’t able to attend school simply due to a lack of funds needed to purchase a requisite uniform.”

The new Note Cubes come with a Lilly pen, and have 600 sheets printed with snappy designs. The “You’re Flagged” pattern is also seen on the spring Market Bags ($9.50) and the new iPhone 3G/4G cases. (The iPhone cases are mostly in, the Touch cases won’t arrive until April.)

Back to Jonathan Adler, another new item this spring is really for the pet(s) in residence at your Palace.

We are so happy to be back at The Prepatorium, we had a divine time at the Atlanta Gift Show. We actually did a post Monday showing how immense the Mart is, but had to delete it within moments because of technical issues created by someone pathetically inept at still learning how to fully maximize the iPad.

There are more discoveries we shall be adding to the site, but we don’t yet have images to share with you. We did get to see the new Lilly Pulitzer and Jonathan Adler designs, the products are even better than anticipated. This includes the much-buzzed-about Acrylic Wine Glasses.

It was loads of fun seeing friends and shopping, but we are ever-so-happy to be home.

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We share a few images last night’s big do in the District, the state dinner for President Hu Jintao of China. First Lady Michelle Obama chose an Alexander McQueen gown.

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty

The lush look in red and black silk was the creation of Sarah Burton, she was named to design the line following Mr. McQueen’s death last year. Earlier in the day Mrs. Obama was in a navy wool ensemble by Roksanda Ilincic.

Some of the notable names at last night’s party included designer Vera Wang and fashion pooh-bah Anna Wintour.

Also attending, Barbra Streisand and her husband, James Brolin, along with Michelle Kwan, who was stunning in metallic gold.

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We leave you with a look at a friend’s good news, seen in the print campaign for this spring’s Tommy Hilfiger line.

Courtesy Tommy Hilfiger via WWD

The reason for our delight may be tough to spot in these images.

Courtesy Tommy Hilfiger

Here is a better view:

Some readers will recognize our friend Kiel James Patrick’s handiwork in the men’s accessories, Kiel allowed the Hilfiger folks to include his bracelets in the photo shoot.

The accessory selection by the Hilfiger creative minds syncs with the continued reinvention of the Hilfiger brand, something we have followed with interest; the company is making progress in retrieving the brand from the land of logos on steroids and “pants on the floor”. Last spring’s styles shown at Fashion Week were just this side of flawless (who’d a thunk??), it will be intriguing to see what the company shows next month at Fashion Week.

Also making us smile, seeing that Muffy Aldrich, prep blogger extraordinaire, penned a lovely post about her own KJP bracelet.

Hello-Hello, it is one wild Wednesday here at the Prepatorium, please accept our apologies for such a tardy and lengthy post, sadly it is one of our tedious ‘Wednursday’ (Wednesday-Thursday) epistles, two days of news crammed into one. Sigh.

As promised, we continue with our preview of this spring’s Lilly Pulitzer Stationery & Gifts collection. (Part 1 may be found here.) We begin with something that is always popular, especially as we approach the season for planning showers, graduation galas, and all sorts of celebrations, Lilly tableware.

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

Pre-orders start this week for the new tumblers, napkins, plates and other partyware, with shipping planned for the first or second week of February. Patterns include Floaters (the lush green and pink design shown above), Do the Wave seen below right….

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

..and However You Slice It, shown below.

"However You Slice It"

A fun item for any casual get-together, new acrylic Wine Glasses that are cute and carefree.

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

We do adore the way Lilly creates special treasures for Minnies, and our next item is no exception: the Insulated Lunch Totes are made just for the little ones, but seem likely to be ‘borrowed’ (as in permanently) by whimsical Lilly-loving adults, including your faithful correspondent.

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

We show a Tote in Later Gator (the child-sized water bottles are available now, part of the winter line), these also come in Desert Tort. We like that they are all BPA, phthalate and lead-free; the Lunch Totes have an inside pocket and also come with an ID tag, they will run $19.50, due here at The Prepatorium in early to mid-March.

Now available for pre-ordering, this spring’s Lilly Dress Magnets. The magnets are $12.50 and will ship the first or second week of February.

PreppyPrincess.com

Sure to be popular (but not slated to ship until April), the new Croakies (Princess, do *not* use that name, it is trademarked) sunglass straps.

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

These are adjustable, reversible, and they can even go in the wash.

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

Patterns include Later Gator, Floaters, Bloomers and Desert Tort; these will be $8.50.

Always ideal for gifting, the new Picture Frames do not disappoint.

Lily Pulitzer Spring 2011

Available the first week in February, the frames come in Stuffed Shells (above), Buy Local Patch (below L), and Heritage Floral (below R).

“…the collection will include clothing and accessories for women and children, plus home goods like candles, pillows and glassware.”

This one seems perfectly timed for spring and summer.

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Also, word that faux-prep school alum Blake Lively is the new face of Chanel’s upcoming Mademoiselle handbag line.

Courtesy Photo via WWD

WWD reported the much-rumored story today, the line launches this spring, Chanel Grand Pooh-bah Karl Lagerfeld will shoot the campaign himself.

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Finally, reports are surfacing about a possible impediment to the planned sale of J. Crew. From a Bloomberg story late today:

“Sears Holdings Corp. and Urban Outfitters Inc. are weighing rival bids for clothing retailer J. Crew Group Inc. in a potential challenge to TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners LP’s $3 billion buyout, said three people with knowledge of the matter.”

It doesn’t take a stockologist to know this has all the makings of a sticky wicket, we can’t think of anyone who would be in favor of a Sears-J. Crew deal. More from the Bloomberg story:

“Sears buying the clothing chain “would be great for Sears, but horrible for J. Crew,” said Christine Chen, a San Francisco-based analyst for Needham & Co. “J. Crew is positioned as aspirational and Sears is not. It would have a negative impact on the J. Crew brand.”

Princess readers won’t be surprised to read the interwebs are burning up with all manner of speculation and commentary. From 24/7 Wall St.:

“What is interesting about Sears as a possible buyer is that it did make a similar acquisition in the past when it acquired Lands End, a catalog retail apparel company.

“The surprising company on the surface is Urban Outfitters Inc. It caters to a younger audience with its Urban Outfitters name-brand and it also has Anthropologie, Free People, and Terrain.”

“In the world of deal-making, prep is still in, and pink is looking awfully pretty.

“One month after J. Crew agreed to sell itself to two buyout firms, the parent company of Lilly Pulitzer — the maker of eye-catching dresses for the horsey set — sold itself on Tuesday to Oxford Industries for $60 million in cash.

“No less an authority than “The Official Preppy Handbook” declared that the company’s golf skirt and beach dress were must-haves for Muffie and her friends.”

What does it all mean to us, the consumers? Here is what Lilly noted on its Facebook page:

“Good news travels fast! Here’s the juice…Sugartown Worldwide (the parent company of Lilly Pulitzer) was acquired by Oxford Industries. We are smiling ear to ear because everything will stay the same, only better. The company will be under the same leadership – aka Brad and Scott and everyone else here you adore. We are… in love with Oxford because they LOVE Lilly and want us to be JUST AS WE ARE, only more more more.”

“…the plan is to add to the Lilly Pulitzer stable of company-owned retail stores and enhance its e-commerce site, which launched two years ago and accounts for more than 10 percent of sales. E-commerce is viewed as “the biggest opportunity,”…”

Jean Palmieri’s story in WWD notes Oxford plans to add 4 to 7 new stores a year to the existing 16 corporate stores. This may be good news in many respects, but there is significant anxiety from non-corporate stores, as all Tommy Bahama stores are owned by Oxford.

A few thoughts:

When a company is publicly traded there are different goals. Shareholders have profit expectations, and those expectations must be met. Having worked for both privately held and publicly traded media companies over the years, there *is* a difference. By the same token, Lilly Pulitzer is already engaged in making money, it hasn’t ever been a not-for-profit endeavor. However, an additional $20 million dollars is on the table if Lilly meets certain earnings targets. It doesn’t take an MBA to recognize that amount of money can be a strong motivator in finding ways to meet such goals.

The current management team will remain at the Pink Palace. Scott Beaumont and Jim Bradbeer, (CEO & President, respectively) brought the brand back from the grave and have demonstrated they know their stuff, we admire their business acumen. Those two gentlemen are very savvy marketers.

The Lilly Warehouse sales will remain in KOP (King of Prussia, home to the Lilly Mothership).

How will Oxford/Lilly react to customer concerns about quality, direction, and brand dilution? That is an unknown. Lilly Pulitzer has an extraordinarily passionate customer base, not quite on par with Apple (but close), with a devoted, almost-cult-like following. Consumers know prints by name, specific garments by cut and style: the Bowen dress, Paley Cardigan, McKims sandals, and recently, the wildly popular Murfee scarf, to name just a few of the items buyers covet. (Yes, we have a few favorites as well!) The Re-Lilly Facebook group has grown to more than 2700 fans in just one year, followers who buy, sell, swap and share Lilly merchandise, tips and tidbits.

Some believe Lilly is no longer as “special” as it once was. Messrs. Bradbeer and Beaumont have done a stellar job bringing the brand back from the grave, to be sure. But recent collaborations have troubled some customers, the LeSportSac partnership seemed especially irksome to many, although it didn’t bother us.

The company has licensed or partnered with firms making everything from electric cars to cosmetics to stationery. (Full disclosure: we are sellers of the Lilly Pulitzer Stationery & Gifts line.) The enormous Lilly Pulitzer Furniture Collection due out in the spring has sparked conversation as well. (More info and photos here.) One area greeting the news favorably: the stock market, Oxford shares were up 22% as of this writing.

As Lilly’s executives noted on the conference call, they were not actively shopping the company, having declined previous approaches over the years. In this case conversations continued past the initial stage, and the offer transcended others in providing a solid “strategic and cultural fit,” according to Thomas Caldecot Chubb, III, Oxford’s president.

As with any transaction of this magnitude many factors are unknown. From a selfish perspective, we do love our Lilly, although we don’t live in it, in part because of the climate – The Great Midwest doesn’t encourage summer fashions year round. Sigh. And we want to see the small, independent shops we love (hello Village Palm and many others!) continue to grow and thrive. So we’ll cross our fingers and our toes, hoping that good things happen going forward.

The gray and gloomy skies here in The Great Midwest prompted us to look for something a little brighter. It seems like a good time to share a few more pink and green gift ideas, some specific to the holidaze, but many ideal any time of the year. We start with what has to be the first one of these we’ve seen: behold the 2GB Personalized Hard Drive.

Ida Claire

It is from those fab folks at Ida Claire (is there anything we *don’t* want at this shop?) and is wallet-friendly at $24.50. available in other colors and styles as well.